In light of the growth of e-commerce-and the fact that consumers and businesses are buying again, many of the discussions that we had at ProMat 2015 didn't revolve around the products and the equipment on display as much as it did the supplemental technology and solutions that are designed to optimize systems in an effort to work "smarter."

Collaboration isn't a new concept. What is new is how we collaborate. Innovative technologies such as social collaboration platforms, mobility applications and intelligent analytics and dashboards have become much more prominent within the supply chain. During this webcast we'll explore how combining these innovations with end-to-end supply chain visibility creates a prime opportunity to maximize your manufacturing Supply Chain IQ, enabling you to make better decisions and execute those decisions more quickly and profitably.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Jervis B. Webb Company - a subsidiary of Daifuku Webb Holding Company and leading provider of material handling solutions – U.S. Patent No. 7,980,808 for its Automatic Transport Loading System and Method and U.S. Patent No. 7,991,521 for its Variable Path for Automated Guided Vehicle.

The Automatic Transport Loading System and Method is Webb’s second Automatic Transport Loading (ATL) patent for its SmartLoader Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV), which loads and unloads standard, over-the-road trailers and other containers without requiring any modifications to the trailers. This patent applies specifically to loading and unloading the ends of trailers by actively adjusting the position or angle of the forks on the AGV. Normally, the forks of an AGV are parallel to the floor when it is picking up and dropping off loads. However, loading and unloading the end of a trailer requires the AGV to be outside of the vehicle on a loading dock or ramp that may be lower and/or at a different angle than the floor of the trailer. The newly patented technology enables the AGV to compensate for differences in height and position, as well as drop and pick up loads when the forks are not parallel to the floor.

The Variable Path for Automated Guided Vehicles patented technology is a method for controlling several AGVs in a system. The AGVs are instructed to not only follow a predetermined path, but to also vary that path in multiple, minor ways. This reduces wear on the floor because the AGVs are not following identical paths.

Automation: What is an AGV?If you think AGVs, or automatic guided vehicles, are a mature technology, think again. Since 2005, the industry has seen an unparalleled level of innovation.

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In light of the growth of e-commerce-and the fact that consumers and businesses are buying again, many of the discussions that we had at ProMat 2015 didn't revolve around the products and the equipment on display as much as it did the supplemental technology and solutions that are designed to optimize systems in an effort to work "smarter."